The lockdown looks to have uncovered a curious dichotomy in women’s fashion. True enough, countless women in the fashion meccas of New York, Paris, and Rome adopted sweatpants and t-shirts as a virtual uniform while quarantined. The downtime made it inevitable.
What caught fashion insiders by surprise, however, was that just as many women appear to have quietly gravitated toward bedroom apparel that’s decidedly racier.
Between March and May, several online sellers of erotic lingerie reported spikes in the sales of lacy push-up bras, slinky thongs, and other frankly alluring undergarments.
The increased sales were such that they were impossible to ignore. Industry executives began offering possible explanations for the sudden growth in consumer interest.
One executive speculates that for some couples, confinement seems to have encouraged intimacy that’s outside of typical comfort zones, says the New York Times.
The comment reveals the knee-jerk association we now make between lingerie and sex. Indeed, the connotation is almost automatic these days. But it was not always so.
“Pretty Undergarments”
The notion that women – other than those in the oldest profession – could use underwear for sexual display came about only in the early 1900s.
The early part of the last century saw the beginnings of massive social upheavals in Europe and the United States. Change was afoot in just about every aspect of human society, triggering civil wars, rebellions, and intellectual and spiritual crises.
Cultural attitudes toward women and sex were also in flux. Women were gaining a voice. While the social order of Victorian Europe praised feminine subservience and purity, the woman of the new century rode a bicycle and insisted on a right to vote.
Gradually and deliberately, underwear became branded as female or male by the use of fabrics and applied decoration.
Under their tailor-made suits, men wore practical, uncomplicated cotton and wool undergarments much as they did in the previous century. Under her relatively severe tailor-made suit, the “New Woman” began wearing unabashedly feminine silk stockings, camisoles, and petticoats of lace, chiffon, and satin.
“The most virtuous of us are now allowed to possess pretty undergarments, without being looked upon as suspicious characters,” wrote one female fashion journalist at the time.
The day dress of the Edwardian period emphasized modesty, covering the body from neck to floor. Skirts were bell-shaped. Underskirts were accordingly billowy and long. But as women wore less and less, so did women’s lingerie become smaller.
Eventually, the contorted shape created by straight-fronted corsets softened into a more natural silhouette, prompting a new, more comfortable and less bulky piece of underwear. Vogue magazine first used the term brassiere in 1907, and by 1911 the word had made its way into the Oxford English Dictionary.
A New Attitude
The 20s and 30s saw the rising popularity of slinky slips – an innovation made necessary by the tubular flapper dress made famous by designers like Paul Poiret and Madeline Vionnet.
Matching robe and chemise combinations became a trend just as nightgowns and loungewear began to take on lavish lace insets and sashes.
The more body-conscious fashions of the era also led to a new item of lingerie, the teddy, which covers the torso and crotch in one garment. Corsets and petticoats gave way to bras, knickers, and suspender belts.
Popular images from that time seem to offer evidence of a change in sexual propriety, with portrayals of scantily dressed flappers swigging bootleg liquor from flasks. Racy advertisements for silk stockings showed off women’s legs, as well.
This new attitude toward sex gained greater momentum in the 1940s, when sex openly entered the mainstream. Motion pictures, plays, songs, novels¸ and advertising all reflected a market for sexually-themed entertainment.
“After 15 years of Depression and war, there was a desire on the part of Americans to live in the moment and enjoy life, and they were accordingly less likely to defer to traditional restraints on their behavior,” says historian Alan Petigny of the University of Florida.
The clergy, vice police, conservative media, and reform groups tried desperately to shout down this new attitude, which they deemed to be obscene. Their efforts were met with limited success.
Instead, the decidedly erotic push-up bra exploded onto the fashion scene in the 1950s along with Christian Dior’s trendy “New Look” collection. The collection centered on dresses, full skirts, and coats that created an ultra-feminine hourglass silhouette.
The bust was of course a prominent part of the look of the period. This meant that wires had to structure the bra to push up and form décolletage set against plunging necklines.
Decline, Rebound, and Empowerment
The 1960s saw the escalation of the free love culture and the sexual revolution. Although the Pill was still only available to married women, it quickly became the symbol of a new, freewheeling sexuality. Ironically, however, popular interest in lingerie and erotic apparel saw a steep drop during the decade.
Experts today attribute the decline to the new silhouette defined by the miniskirt, which required a more practical combination of polyester bra and panties with tights.
But the lingerie industry rebounded through the 1970s and 1980s as more women entered the executive arena.
By the end of the 1980s, attitudes toward feminine sexuality had undergone a sea change. Classic lingerie styles became popular again as career women who wore power suits to work wore sexy, lacy underwear as a reminder of their femininity.
By the 1990s, a new lingerie revival was in full swing, attracting both male and female consumers. Much of this emerging fashion culture was led by Californian companies Victoria’s Secret and Frederick’s of Hollywood.
‘They were the first to be very adventurous in the alluring way they show lingerie,” said Virginia Styles, editor of Intimate Fashion News, a trade newspaper.
Today, the association between sexual allure and women’s lingerie is as powerful as ever. In fact, Fleur du Mal, which designs and sells sexy lingerie, emptied its stocks of four styles of crotchless pantiese just days into New York’s recent lockdown.
Other online retailers report doubling their sales of ornately detailed low-cut bras, sheer-back Brazilian panties, and skimpy bikinis between March and April.
But then, too, changing attitudes and values have prompted manufacturers toward the concept of building confidence in the modern woman.
Victoria’s Secret is still the leading U.S. lingerie brand, but its share of the market is falling. Sales are slumping and the company’s stock is down.
Industry observers have offered a slew of explanations for the company’s declining popularity. Most point to the company’s stubborn refusal to cast plus-sized or transgender models, among others.
“Victoria’s Secret is losing share to other brands because it’s out of touch,” says Paul Lejuez, a retail analyst at Citi. “Women don’t want to be viewed as stereotypical sexy supermodels buying lingerie just to impress men.”
New lingerie start-ups have taken up the slack, with advertising that focuses on comfort, relatability, a pared-down style, and more realistic sizing.
The model, fashion designer, and businesswoman, Dita Von Teese, likes to think of sexy lingerie as the new occasion-wear for women. She believes the emotional boost it provides is different from that of – say – a T-shirt bra or a pair of briefs.
“For me, lingerie isn’t about seducing men, it’s about embracing womanhood,” Von Teese says.
We couldn’t agree more.
